About Transformation Garden

Transformation Garden is a worldwide Christian ministry dedicated to encouraging and empowering women in their daily walk with Jesus. The devotional thoughts presented in Transformation Garden have their foundation in the Bible – the inspired word of God.

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Transformation Garden - Jan. 4, 2012

“(She) who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty whose power no foe can withstand. I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God: on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I confidently trust!”
Psalm 91: 1, 2
Amplified Bible

“Righteousness” Defined as: Meeting the standards of what is right and morally just.

“Righteousness” Hebrew defined as: Make right in a moral sense. Cleanse and clear.

“Redemption” To save from sin and its consequences. To regain possession of something or someone.

“As a race we are not even stray sheep, or wandering prodigals merely, we are rebels with weapons in our hands. Our supreme need from God, therefore, is not the education of our conscience…but our redemption.”
P.T. Forsyth

How do I express the gratitude in my heart that my righteous Father has redeemed me?

“The only glory which Jesus ever sought for Himself or offered to His disciples was to be caught up into God’s redemptive purpose.”
George Carid

I love the passage found in Psalm 51: 14, for in this Old Testament verse, we find a mini-summary of what we call God’s “Plan of Salvation.” I find it incredibly enlightening that David knew his Father in Heaven so well, that his ability to articulate God’s plan to redeem His wayward children on earth, is clearly stated in this one text, before Jesus even came to earth.

From guilt and death, we find through God’s gracious saving power, He rescues what was lost, He clears and cleanses us and as David so beautifully tells God, “My response will be to glorify and praise You for this gift which has made my life right.”

In this text is revealed a touching portrait of an individual who came face-to-face with the evil in his own heart. I don’t know about you, but sometimes I find it tremendously difficult to admit that I’m wrong. But what I find so incredible about David’s life is that before the cleansing took place, he had to confront just how far he had fallen.

I seriously doubt David ever thought, when he was watching the sheep in his father’s pasture, that he would ever sink so low as to murder in order to cover up his lust and sexual infidelity. When I read some of the Psalms penned by David, it strikes me that it appeared quite impossible for this gentle-hearted singer to come to a point where he was guilty of innocent blood on his hands – however this is exactly what transpired in David’s life.

But God didn’t leave this desperate man to flounder, unattended. Rather, God gave David the salvation he longed for, and He redeemed the rebellious David.

In turn, it was David who opened his life in praise and gratitude about the righteous cleansing power of God. We don’t find David crowing about his own goodness – for there was nothing in his life to be puffed-up about. When David saw for himself the level to which he could sink, like all of us, he realized that in himself, there wasn’t a thing to “blow one’s own horn” about. This is why he promised his Father that all the glory would go to Him.

No wonder we find these words penned by David in Psalm 111: 1, 3, 9 (K.J.V.) – “Praise ye the Lord. I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright…His work is honourable and glorious: and His righteousness endureth forever…He sent redemption unto His people: he hath commanded His covenant for ever: holy and reverend is His name.”

As I read this Psalm and David’s unbridled expression of joy at his Father’s redemptive power, I remembered the words to an old hymn penned by Fanny J. Crosby entitled “Redeemed”:

“Redeemed! How I love to proclaim it!
Redeemed by the blood of the Lamb;
Redeemed through His infinite mercy,
His child and forever, I am.

Redeemed! And so happy in Jesus!
No language my rapture can tell;
I know that the light of His presence
With me doth continually dwell.”

This is the joyful expression that filled David’s being when he discovered his Father’s free gift of life that replaced the death he deserved.

AFFIRMATION

“O God, I reach out to you
as a child reaches for its mother,
and like a child I offer you
a special gift of love.
It’s something unique.
In all the history of the universe
there has never been another like it.
It’s something of great beauty,
small and fragile, yet amazingly strong.
It has all the colours of the rainbow,
a gift of shimmering contrasts,
and I offer it exactly as it is.
Without any wrapping,
because you already know it
better than I do.

So here it is, my God,
with all my love and gratitude,
the gift you made,
the gift you cherish,
the gift of me.”

My book, When A Woman Meets Jesus, is available wherever books are sold and on the internet at www.amazon.com, and www.Christianbook.com, or by calling toll-free, 1-800-Christian. You may also call Transformation Garden at 480-281-1508.

About Transformation Garden

Transformation Garden is a worldwide Christian ministry dedicated to encouraging and empowering women in their daily walk with Jesus. The devotional thoughts presented in Transformation Garden have their foundation in the Bible – the inspired word of God.